Tips to Melt Our Frozen Chicagoland Hearts

Are you sick of the cold yet, Chicagoland people? I sure am. While other parts of the country are just starting to gear up for snow (we hear you grumbling, St. Louis), most of us here are ready for winter to be over. (Officially spring begins on March 20, but we know how laughable that is.) Still, I can’t help daydreaming about how glorious it will be when I can step outdoors without my fuzzy scarf, big blue hat, a pair of ridiculous mittens and the Chicago Coat. You know the Chicago Coat. It’s the full-length, black puffy monstrosity that kills all notions of style or shape, but it sure does keep me warm.

Do I sound like a veteran of the Chicago winters? Well, I might be able to detect the difference between 20 degrees and 10 degrees below zero, but I’m not really an expert. The Greater Chicago Red Cross website still enlightened my frozen brain with nuanced winter safety tips. Say you were to get stuck in the snow in your car on the side of the road—would you really know what to do to stay safe and warm? What about safety while shoveling the snow—do you know how to take care of your heart while you’re flinging that white stuff off the concrete?

Take a gander at these tips, then do me a favor. Share your own winter safety tips here in the comments—how do you stay cozy during the long, long winters? Leave some hints that will warm your fellow frozen Midwesterners.